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Backs Still Against Wall on Drug Abuse

In some ways, the human havoc of the substance abuse crisis seems to have leveled off or even abated somewhat in West Virginia, to judge by some reports.

It’s still a war claiming many casualties. Ask Wheeling police officers.

During a forum on the subject last week, police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said the rate of drug overdoses in Wheeling seems to be declining.

But the bad news is that thus far in 2017 — to last Wednesday, at least — police had responded to calls about 106 drug overdoses. Three of them proved fatal.

Before becoming chief here, Schwertfeger worked in law enforcement in Virginia for 21 years. “In the first five years I’ve been in Wheeling, I have seen more narcotics on the streets than I did in the 21 years prior,” he told those at the forum.

West Virginia still has the highest drug overdose rate in the nation, by far. Is some progress being made?

Yes. But so much remains to be done to save our state and our fellow West Virginians from the scourge of drug abuse.

Clearly, substance addiction still has our backs against the wall.

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